Why did the New York Islanders acquire Carson Soucy?

Soon after the New York Islanders win against the Philadelphia Flyers, it was announced that the squad had acquired Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers in exchange for a third round pick in 2026. 

Yes, the Islanders needed a third pair, left defensemen, but there were other opportunities to acquire players off of waivers and the one that’s comparable to Soucy the most is Yegor Zamula.

Zamula was on waivers earlier this season and it has been a roller coaster season since. He is currently on the Columbus Blue Jackets after a contract termination with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Soucy cost the blue and orange a third round pick and has a much higher cap hit than Zamula, so why would the Islanders do this? 

The cap hit doesn’t matter. The Islanders have four players on LTIR and have plenty of money available. Soucy is a more reliable defenseman than Zamula, and gives the team a solidified option for its third pair on the left side. He is physical and can play the penalty kill, but most importantly he can eat minutes. 

The Islanders have struggled to have any of the defensemen they’ve called up average 15 minutes a game. With Matthew Schaefer averaging over 24 minutes a night, a player like Soucy can lessen his workload. 

In his first game with the Islanders Soucy had a total time on ice of 16:38, considering he was traded two days prior that number will only increase. It looks like Soucy can fill the role that Alexander Romanov left when he got injured and be a consistent third pairing guy for the Islanders.